Manga Books

The manga is much better than the animation series that you'll catch on American TV. Not that the anime doesn't have it's good points but you can't beat the original story (and it doesn't have filler episodes). Naruto doesn't seem to be falling into the Dragonball Z series trap of ever increasing villians to fight (and fight....), it actually has a story and the author does a good job of keeping things on track. A good series for most ages (only the very young should take care, there is violence).

This volume takes place when the 5th hokage takes her position as hokage. Sasuke believes that naruto has become stronger than him so they battle each other out. You have GOT to get this book.

Great story line - like how each member of Shikamaru team faces off against the Sound Four.

Okay,there is only one word to describe this volume; "Violence." Lots of violence. This is a very good volume, it contains awesome fight scenes, especially the Neji fight. If you come across this at the store next month, i encourage you to buy it!

It is here. The fight we've all been waiting for is in this volume. Next up shippuuden naruto in vol 28. In the anime however I think we got about 89 more episodes (fillers) to go before we get to the shippuuden. Although, honestly I think I prefer naruto as a 12 yr old. he's a bit more reckless and eger

Volume 26 of this excellent exciting series contains the big fight between Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto, desperate to bring Sasuke back to Konoha will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal. However Naruto will find this difficult as Sasuke is obsessed with finding Orochimaru so he can gain a greater power.

This highly exciting battle is easily the highpoint of this great series so far. And the climax will have you holding your breath in anticipation.

Even if you haven't read the first 25 books, this would be an easy point to jump in and start as the book covers the climax of part one without relying too much on previous plots (with the exception of the Itachi flashback). However, to get the full enjoyment out of this I strongly reccommend you read all of this brilliant series.

Miyazaki's graphic novels are MUCH better than the animation. More depth and better story resolution. Visually stunning with tremendous thought and meaning.

I have just finished reading this series, and I must say that I am AMAZED. The books are much more philosophical than the movie (which corresponds to only the first two books), and contains many more characters that are more developed. Unlike the movie, where Nausicaa was practically perfect, and Kushana was purely evil, the book's characters are much more complex. Kushana reminds me of Lady Hiboshi from Princess Mononoke.

The tone of the series changes from beginning to end. This makes sense, as the series was written over about 10 years, with a number of hiatuses. The first two books are confusing and not terribly interesting, but the story blossoms from there.

On top of that, I don't even like manga or anime as genres. Miyazaki is truly exceptional.

Miyazaki keeps up the incredible pace he has established in the previous books in this volume. The illustration is very wonderful and unique, a kind of free-hand hatching style, with a tan and white ink instead of just black and white, which adds a different feel to the storytelling. The story, while complex, stays very focused as we follow several different groups, which weave in and out of each others' experiences, as the overall plot continues to build toward an end-of-the-world type of climax. There is very much a sense of a complete, well-developed larger story here, and the author's love for the characters is obvious in the high quality and level of attention put into this work.

This is powerful work, deep in its meaning without being condescending. A product of brilliant storytelling and equally excellent art. Highly, highly recommended. It's a shame there isn't a hardcover compendium of all 7 books.

Negima continues with volume 10. Again, at center stage is Mahora Academy's annual celebration, MahoraFest!! This one, though, promises to be one that no one will forget soon. Alot happens in this wild little romp. Negi decides to use the time machine that Chao gave him to go back in time; that way, the other him can go through the festival and make his teacher's rounds, while the time-machine Negi can concentrate on his date with Nodoka- which he's kinda scared about, but not nearly as nervous as Nodoka is!!! Also, the Martial Arts tournament begins with the preliminary rounds, and alot of questions are already being raised. How is the tournament being sponsored solely by Chao- and why wasn't she in any record books til two years ago? Will Negi have the magical strength and determination to make it through the tournament? And just how did Kazumi land the announcer's position? Ken Akamatsu's Negima series just gets better and better with every volume. Good luck, Negi!!!

This is the 10th volume in the ongoing manga series. It is the ongoing tale of Negi Springfield, boy wizard and teacher at a Japanese girl's middle school. This particular volume features the first day of the Mahora Academy Festival. Negi has set too full a schedule for himself, and it seems like he will not be able to fulfill all the commitments he has made, unless he can be in three places at once. Which he can, by a way I won't give away here. He spends several hours on a "date" with Nodoka, the shy girl who is in love with him. It may seem strange for a 13 year old girl to be in love with a 10 year old boy, but he is very mature for his age, and the situation comes off as being very sweet. Oh, she's not the only one of his students who's in love with him, either. Anyway, the last part of the book is about a martial arts tournament, or rather the first round of it. I don't think it's giving away too much to say that Negi gets past the first round, as do many of his students. The tournament will presumably continue in volume 11. This continues to be a delightful series, but there is still the problem of having so many characters, it's hard to keep track of who's who.

Think back to when you were 16. Do you still remember how it was like to worry about stuff that would worry 16 year olds? Compared to Jeremy Feeple's character, I'll bet the problems that worried us all back then would never even come close! I've read Ninja High School since its earliest printings way back in 1990, and instantly fell in love with the story line! It's great to know that the series is still out there! Funny, suspenseful, romantic; all rolled into one great comic series that readers are sure to keep interest in for a long time! A must for all manga fans out there!

This is the first collection of the incredible comic book series, which contains issues #1-3 1/2. The story is awesome, a tale of intergalactic relations, rivalry of ninja clans, a 16 year old boy who is forced into a ridiculous mess against his will, and steam! Manga fans will love it.

We FINALLY get to meet Urd's angel! Don't get me wrong--Holy Bell and Noble Scarlet are beautiful and sweet, but World of Elegance ROCKS! From her split appearance to her fire-breathing power, she is the Angel of Angels. Peorth's Glorious Rose is cool too, but we see so little of her that I can't really make a judgement.

If you saw the movie, you saw how cool World of Elegance is.

As for the other stories...I read the one about Belldandy getting drunk when it was in the monthly comic, so that one was not new to me. And the others were pretty good, but like I said, I read them before too. All except for the one about Urd and her angel.

The art is breathtaking, and the story is original and fun. This is one of my favorite series (Five Star Stories and Real Bout High School being the other two), and anyone who's ever read OMG/AMG knows why I love this series!

I only wish they'd put out the books faster!

This is volume 15 of the English-translated manga series "Oh My Goddess". Fans of the previous manga won't be dissappointed here. Those new to manga should enjoy the sweet and funny tales of the goddess Belldandy and her human boyfriend (and the one she is contracted to) Keiichi.

There are four seperate stories in this volume of the manga. The first deals with Keiichi's sister Megumi and her racing a motorcycle lady known simply as "The Queen". The second tale deals with Belldandy's older sister Urd and Urd's loss of her angel World of Elegance. BTW, that's Urd and her angel on the book's cover.

The third tale deals with Belldandy getting drunk off of cola and casting a spell which causes her and Keiichi to have to hold hands continually (much to her younger sister Skuld's dismay). And finally, the fourth tale deals with the robot Banpei falling in love with an automoton. Skuld must deal with the fact that her creation has grown beyond his original programming.

Bottom line: Some light-hearted tales with Urd and Skuld growing somewhat. Also, a nice look at the current state of the relationship between Belldandy and Keiichi. There are lots of funny moments making this well worth spending your money on.

Sam Keith has a great talent for creating work that is cathartic, translating tragedy into art. In general I love work that is surreal and dreamy and I always feel that with Sam Keith I'm guaranteed to see work that is eye catching. However, I'm used to surrealism sometimes falling into pretension simply because the artist wasn't able to or didn't want to present themes that were universal. Sam Keith is a master at understanding failure and triumph and his work,which typically gets very personal, displays this successfully. Ojo is just another good example from an artist who is consistently great at what he does.

This comic book is one of the best I have ever read. What I thought was going to be another horror comic ended up being much more. Sam Kieth's artistic style matches perfectly with his storytelling, as he mixes reality with his character's psyche seamlessly so the reader can no longer distinguish between the two. A must have for anyone who enjoyed Kieth's other works like the Maxx or Four Women or anyone with a love for the graphic novel in general.

Now I've read the second volume too, and it's still amazing. Here the story really get started. This volume was much more hectic, however, i found the story less detailed, and a little bit weaker, than the previous one. The tone is now more on the actions, but it's still great. Don't hesitate, just buy it.

The manga was great. it finally got the story going. all though now i have to get pt 3 to see what happens next! i would defenitely reccomend this to anyone who loves violent/mystery filled mangas. A+